Public Consultation Summary Report - Summary of Results

Stakeholder Focus Groups

Yarmouth

Date and location of session
March 18, 2013, Yarmouth Legion Hall

Number of participants
12 Participants; see list of stakeholders in attendance and additional invited at end of document

Facilitator’s comments about the session
The afternoon stakeholder session went well with 12 people in attendance representing 10 stakeholder groups out of approximately 31 invited. A few people had to leave the discussions early. There was good discussion at the 2 tables that were formed and people were able to prioritize even with a diversity of interests at the tables including recreation, municipalities, community forests, industry and conservation. If multiple participants were in attendance from the same organization, they were asked to sit at different tables to ensure as much diversity as possible during discussions.

Yarmouth Stakeholder Comments

Question 1
How can we best use the 1.5 million acres of Crown land and the associated resources in the Western Region to most beneficially and sustainably grow and diversify Nova Scotia's economy?

Forestry (7)

  • Good Forest management practices of all crown lands in the western region (major economic activity)
  • Other forest products (maple syrup)
  • Crown lands need to be managed intensively to provide wood “especially” to local industry
  • Selective cutting for all forests
  • Community forests: harvesting, hunting, camping, hiking
  • Highest Standards possible FSC
  • Small mill agreements

Recreation/tourism/Access (2)

  • Recreation
  • Tourism – New France history (need to be developed)

Broad Policy (2)

  • Leases – long term/short term
  • Consider all uses

Economic Development (2)

  • Jobs – Employment
  • Value added. Maple syrup, forest products

Protection (2)

  • Proposed for Protection: Blackadar lot and Porcupine Lake crown lots used to support forest related jobs for generations. Protecting these lands will have little or no economic impact on local area. These lands and others in West Nova being proposed for protection should have socio-economic analysis before protection is finalized
  • Environmental research

Other (2)

  • Water
  • Industry- mink farms

Question 2
What activities would be the most effective use of Crown land in the Western Region that would generate the most sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits for your community and Nova Scotia? Where would you locate these activities on these Crown lands?

Protection/ Environmental Issues (8)

  • Protected lands should be increase (20% of Bowater lands?)
  • Provide connectivity between: Tobeatic + Dunraven + Tidney bog and fishery.
  • Provides biodiversity protection
  • Areas marked conditional on maps should be protected
  • Protect-historical canoe routes through central NS
  • Maintaining biodiversity
  • No industrial activity
  • 5% is a very small area of the Bowater lands to be protected, should be more

Forestry (6)

  • Forestry (traditional/industrial)
  • Sustainable forest management on 90+% of crown lands
  • Develop low grade wood (50$ of harvest) locally
  • Manage for uneven aged stands in Acadian forests
  • Restore mixed forests
  • Forestry – manage for uneven AGE stands and restore a mixed forest

Recreation/tourism/Access (3)

  • Road Access (new or maintained old roads)
  • Recreational activities even on protected lands
  • How/who will maintain these roads if no forestry activity?

Economic Development (Forestry, agriculture etc.) (3)

  • Develop local markets for local woods e.g. sawmilling to add value
  • Employees- immigration?
  • Give our children an opportunity to stay in west N.S. to work

Broad Policy (2)

  • Critical to all other related activities
  • Majority of land is remote

Energy (1)

  • Wind farms (very little high wind locations)

Question 3
What other points do you feel are the most important for the Department to consider as it develops the land and resource management plan?

Recreation/ Access (4)

  • Promote trapping and game management for (guiding hunting and fishing
  • Promote maintenance of key and strategic roads for land access
  • Create ATV access to sensitive areas
  • Create trails for ATVs but keep ATVs off all other lands
  • Promote trapping and game management for guiding, hunting and fishing

Forestry (4)

  • Local management of local resources “community forests”
  • Educating public about the advantages of “good” sustainable forestry
  • No primary biomass forest harvesting 1
  • Ongoing public consult on forest license agreements (FSC) 1

Protection (2)

  • Protection issue
  • New proposed protected areas for Digby County will negatively impact our economic well being

Broad Policy (1)

  • Limit red tape to encourage innovations

Economic Development (2)

  • Crown land has tremendous potential to create economic benefits/ jobs in western N.S.
  • JOBs we need to make things

Additional Stakeholder Submissions

Additional material from stakeholders was received by NR&R and is currently being reviewed.